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Continuous Liquid Culture of Rumen Microorganisms

Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station^{2, 3,}

Abstract

Two continuous flow systems, a growth chamber and a modified chemostat, are described and were used as culture vessels in studies involving rumen bacteria. Pure cultures of Escherichia coli, Bacillus cerus and Clostridium sporogenes were grown in the growth chamber, which was "open" for the flow of the liquid nutrient sources but "closed" for bacteria and certain intermediate metabolic products. Three nutrient sources, inorganic, nutrient broth, and cell-free rumen fluid, served as nutrient sources for the rumen bacteria, while only nutrient broth was used in the studies involving pure cultures. Cellulose hydrolysis was the response criterion used with rumen bacteria, while optical density, measured at 660 mu., was used to measure growth of the pure cultures.

Flow rate of the inorganic medium and nutrient broth apparently adversely affected rate of cellulose hydrolysis in both systems when the turnover number was less than approximately 13.5 hours. Cell-free rumen fluid promoted faster cellulose hydrolysis than did either inorganic medium or nutrient broth. The data also indicate that anaerobic bacteria in pure culture are able to survive and grow in the growth chamber.

¹ Present address, Dept. Pharmacology, Univ. of Chicago.

² Department of Animal Husbandry, Stillwater.

³ Approved by the Director.